Compile to PDF Font Hinting Distortions

It’s fairly visible in Times New Roman (the letters get really crowded).

This is in compile to PDF (not to print using print to PDF), Manuscript (times).

It looks to me as though the fonts are larger with hinting off, but the spacing is the same as with hinting on. It’s a bit strange (font hinting shouldn’t change type size).

(text is from a random text generator I found on the 'Net)