PHP developers with a background in C and C++ may frequently be tempted to use the printf function to output strings. While this works fine, it does cost more in terms of CPU usage than the similar, yet more basic print function. Strictly speaking print is not a real function but a language construct.

Don't use printf when print is sufficient. To output simple strings, use print. Generally, you should only use printf (and sprintf) when you need more control over the output format, for example, when formatting integer or floating point numbers for display.