For the continuous production of tobacco bags from a sheet-material web (19), the latter is, in the first instance, folded in the region of a folding device (30) to form a continuous web leg (20) corresponding to a pocket of the bag. The web (19) prepared in this way is directed through a sealing subassembly for the purpose of providing transversely directed connecting seams as a lateral boundary to the pockets of successive bags. The sealing subassembly (31) is arranged in an upright position with sealing devices one beneath the other. The web (19) is directed through the sealing subassembly (31) in an upright plane and is largely free of tensioning during the sealing operation.