How can PHP beginners effectively manage the character count in a text string to ensure readability and consistency?

To effectively manage the character count in a text string for readability and consistency, PHP beginners can use the `substr()` function to limit the number of characters displayed. This function allows you to specify the starting point and the length of the substring to extract from the original text. By using `substr()`, you can ensure that your text strings are concise and consistent in length.

$text = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.";
$limited_text = substr($text, 0, 20); // Limit text to 20 characters
echo $limited_text;