A machine for confining cigarettes or packets of cigarettes in converted blanks of paper, cardboard or the like employs a paster serving to apply adhesive to selected portions of successive blanks of a series of moving blanks. In order to compensate for wear upon and/or for misalignment of the paster and/or a back support for the blanks during application of adhesive, the back support is adjustable relative to the paster and/or vice versa in several directions. Such adjustability ensures predictable application of adhesive, such as hot melt, to predetermined portions of the blanks. The back support and/or the paster is or can be biased to a predetermined position relative to the path for the moving blanks.