I agree with swift -- print length($string) if you're not sure... and as for printing "unprintables":

sub literal {
  require 'dumpvar.pl';
  &dumpValue;
}
[download]

The dumpvar.pl library is, in fact, what the debugger uses when you tell it x $string.

$_="goto+F.print+chop;\n=yhpaj";F1:eval