Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mengarsipkan materi rapat di laci bawah. - I archive the meeting material in the bottom drawer.

-kan makes a transitive verb that means “to cause something to be archived/put into the archive.” So mengarsipkan naturally takes a direct object: Saya mengarsipkan materi rapat.
mengarsip (without -kan) also exists and is common; it’s a bit shorter/neutral: Saya mengarsip dokumen itu. In most cases, there’s no meaning difference vs. mengarsipkan.
mengarsipi (with -i) would focus on repeatedly/locationally acting upon a target and is not idiomatic here. Prefer mengarsipkan or mengarsip.

How do I say this in the passive voice?

Two natural passive options:

Passive with di-: Materi rapat diarsipkan di laci bawah (oleh saya).
“Short passive” with agent pronoun before the verb: Materi rapat saya arsipkan di laci bawah. Both are common; the agent with oleh is often omitted if obvious.

Should it be di laci bawah or ke laci bawah?

Use di to mark the final location: … di laci bawah (“in the bottom drawer”).
Use ke to mark movement/destination, typically with a motion/put-into verb: Saya memasukkan materi rapat ke laci bawah.
With placement verbs like menaruh/menyimpan/mengarsipkan, Indonesians usually use di, not ke: Saya menyimpan dokumen di laci bawah.

Is laci bawah the same as laci di bawah? How do I say “the very bottom drawer”?

laci bawah = the bottom drawer (the lowest one in a stack).
laci di bawah = a drawer that’s below something; more ambiguous.
To emphasize “the very bottom drawer,” say laci paling bawah (most common). laci terbawah exists but sounds more formal/rare.

What exactly does materi rapat cover? Could I say bahan rapat or dokumen rapat?

materi rapat = content/materials for the meeting (slides, handouts, talking points).
dokumen rapat = meeting documents/papers (more specifically documents).
bahan rapat = materials for a meeting (often more “raw material”/preparatory). Choose based on what you mean: “content” (materi), “papers” (dokumen), or “materials” (bahan).

Where should the location phrase go? Is Saya mengarsipkan di laci bawah materi rapat okay?

Natural order: Subject + Verb + Object + [Location] → Saya mengarsipkan materi rapat di laci bawah.
Don’t split the verb and its direct object with the location phrase: Saya mengarsipkan di laci bawah materi rapat sounds off.
You can front the location for emphasis: Di laci bawah, saya mengarsipkan materi rapat.

Do I need to mark past tense explicitly?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Context handles time. To make it explicit:

Is Saya the right pronoun here? What about Aku or Gue?

Saya = polite/neutral standard; works in most contexts.
Aku = casual/intimate with friends/family.
Gue/Gua = very informal Jakarta slang. Pick based on formality and who you’re talking to.

Can I drop the subject and just say Mengarsipkan materi rapat di laci bawah?

As a full statement, that’s odd. Better options:

Use passive: Materi rapat sudah diarsipkan di laci bawah.
Use “short passive”: Materi rapat sudah saya arsipkan di laci bawah.
As an instruction/imperative, drop the subject and use the bare command: Arsipkan materi rapat di laci bawah!

How do I negate this correctly—tidak or bukan?

Negate the verb with tidak: Saya tidak mengarsipkan materi rapat di laci bawah.
Use bukan to negate a noun/focus or to correct:
- Agent focus: Bukan saya yang mengarsipkan materi rapat.
- Location correction: Materi rapat bukan di laci bawah.

What are more everyday alternatives to mengarsipkan?

Neutral “store/keep”: menyimpan → Saya menyimpan materi rapat di laci bawah.
Casual “put/place”: menaruh → Saya menaruh materi rapat di laci bawah.
“Put into” with destination: memasukkan … ke … → Saya memasukkan materi rapat ke laci bawah. Use mengarsipkan when it’s an official filing/record-keeping action.

Why is di sometimes separate and sometimes attached?

di as a preposition for place is written separately: di laci bawah (“in the bottom drawer”).
di- as a passive prefix attaches to the verb: diarsipkan (“is/was archived”).
So: di laci bawah (separate), but diarsipkan (attached).