Why You Pick a Shoe Size Before the Scan

The phone scan measures the foot. It does not hand back a shoe size to order. You choose the US size you normally wear, and that size is the outline we start from. After you pay, the scan shapes the arch on that outline. This page is what you choose, and what the scan does after checkout.

What you actually choose

On every design you choose a shoe size and a length.

• Full Length runs from the heel to the toe. It replaces the insole the shoe came with. Use it in sneakers, walking shoes, and work boots when the original insole lifts out.
• 3/4 Length runs from the heel to just behind the ball of the foot. It sits on top of the insole that is already in the shoe. Use it in dress shoes, flats, and shoes that feel tight through the toes.

Both lengths are $69.99. The full length and 3/4 length guide goes through which shoes suit which one. The 16 designs are only the fabric you see: the printed arch underneath is the same idea on every color.

Where the shape comes from

After you pay, you scan both feet with your phone. The steps are in how to scan your feet with your phone, and the reason the scan comes second is in scan after you order. Volumental’s scanner records each foot on its own. We print the left arch from the left scan and the right arch from the right scan. A single shoe size cannot do that, because a size is one number for a whole foot, and your two feet are often not the same.

AAOS notes that the two feet are often different, and that feet can swell during the day. A size is still the outline, because the scan does not recommend one. The chart on our size guide compares US men's, US women's, and foot length. Brands do not all agree on a number, so use the size you actually wear in the shoes this pair is for.

Why the size is still a choice

A size does not describe the whole foot. A 9 in one shoe is not a 9 in another. We still ask for it, because the scan does not return a recommended size. The size sets the outline. The scan sets the arch. Those are two different jobs.

You still choose the shoes you care about, because the length has to fit those shoes. Full Length needs room to replace the original insole. 3/4 Length needs the original insole to stay in the shoe. Cycling shoes and shoes with a glued-in footbed often have no room for either. Look inside the shoe before you order. If the original insole will not come out and the shoe is already snug, neither length will sit comfortably.

Trim the toe, not the arch

The toe of a Full Length pair follows a standard outline. Some shoes need a few millimeters trimmed at the toe so the edge does not bunch. Trim only the toe. The printed arch stays as it is. Use the insole you removed as a paper pattern: mark, cut a little, try the shoe, and repeat. 3/4 Length rarely needs that cut, because it never reaches the toes.

If the shoe feels tight after you put the insole in, check the stack first. A Full Length pair on top of the original insole is two pads. Take the original out. A 3/4 pair is meant to stay on top of the original. The tightness is usually the stack or the toe edge. If the outline is simply short, the size you chose was the small one.

What $69.99 includes

One pair, one length, one design, and the scan after checkout. US delivery is within 14 days of the order being made, and the pair is made once the scan is matched to the order email. You can change or cancel within 24 hours of checkout. After that the pair is final sale, because it was made for one person. If it arrives damaged or made wrong, we replace it. How it works puts the same steps in order, with the scan screens.

We do not take HSA or FSA. This is a comfort insole, not a prescription device. If you need a clinician to look at a foot that hurts, that visit is separate from this order.

A short checklist before you pay

• You know which shoes you will use most.
• You picked Full Length if the original insole comes out, or 3/4 Length if it should stay.
• You picked the US size you wear. The scan will not pick it for you.
• You will scan after you pay, with the same email as checkout.

That is the fit decision. Size and length, then a scan, then a pair made from that scan on the size you chose.

Left and right

One shoe size sets the outline for the pair. The scan does not average the two feet into a different size. Each arch is printed from its own foot, so a wider left foot and a narrower right foot are not forced into one arch. You are not ordering a 9 for the left and a 10 for the right. You are ordering one size, one length, and two arches.

If your feet are very different in length, not just in width, the standard blank may need the toe trim described above on the shorter side. That trim is at the toe only. It is not a second size. People who need two completely different shoe lengths for medical reasons should talk to a clinician before ordering a comfort insole and expecting it to replace that difference.

After checkout, the email you used to pay is the one that opens the scanner. The order shows the design, the length, the shoe size, and the email we will match to the scan.