How can PHP beginners effectively handle font size and style when calculating string width?

When calculating string width in PHP, beginners can effectively handle font size and style by using the `imagettfbbox()` function to get the bounding box of a text using a TrueType font. This function allows you to specify the font size and style, which will affect the width of the string. By adjusting these parameters, you can accurately calculate the width of the string based on the font size and style being used.

$text = "Hello, World!";
$font = "path/to/font.ttf";
$size = 12;
$angle = 0;
$bbox = imagettfbbox($size, $angle, $font, $text);
$width = $bbox[2] - $bbox[0]; // Calculate the width of the string
echo "Width of the string: " . $width;