A method for controlling a packaging machine for producing wrappers, in particular for producing wrappers for smokable products of the tobacco industry, with several drives capable of being activated independently of one another which move machine elements of the packaging machine on trajectories on which the machine elements might collide with one another or with another component of the packaging machine or with products being handled in the packaging machine, by creating a digital simulation model of the packaging machine is created, simulating differing relative positions of the drives and the states of the packaging machine, ascertaining collision-free traversing paths for the machine elements, and moving the machine elements of the packaging machine respectively along the ascertained collision-free traversing paths.